She Ra's Tough Decision
by physicsman
Summary: Adora contemplates killing Catra. Is this the only way to stop her? Can She Ra make the ultimate decision? What does Catra have planned instead?


These events take place around the time of season 3 episode 6.

The smell of smoke permeated the air. Adora stepped carefully over the rubble. The smells were awful. Wood, plastic, metal, flesh, they all smell different. In the Fright Zone there was always the underlying smell of burning garbage. She had become used to it. But out in the rest of Etheria there were such wonderful smells: trees, flowers, fresh dirt, the ocean, food. Oh, the smell of real food! But all too often lately she had to smell the results of the Horde's attempt to "liberate" Etheria. Smell was the most difficult sense to train. A person can get used to the sights and sounds of war. The mind becomes numb to the visual horrors. But smell directly hits the body's instinctual reactions. It is difficult to hold back the urge to vomit when the smell of burned organic matter hits you in the face.

Adora was surveying the remains of a village, the latest victim of a Horde attack. Survivors were picking through the smoking ruins. People were crying, cursing the Horde. An older woman ran up to her, screaming. "Kill them, Adora! Kill them all! Give me the sword and I will do it!" The woman reached for the sword on Adora's back. Adora stepped away and tried to grab the hysterical woman's arms. Two men came to assist. They pulled the woman away and gave Adora an apologetic look. They took the woman away as she continued to cry. Adora watched them go and said nothing. What could she say? I'm sorry? I'm sorry the Horde destroyed your home? What good would empty words do?

She clenched her fists and kicked a smoldering piece of wood. "Catra!" She said and kicked another piece of rubble. "Damn Catra!" Yes, it was Catra's fault. Before Catra had taken on more duties, the Horde was easier to beat. Their attacks were uncoordinated. Adora knew their tactics and how to respond to them. She would turn into She Ra and dispatch them easily. But Catra had changed the tactics. The attacks were unpredictable and vicious. The Horde would focus more on civilian causalities than on strategic targets. This was designed to destroy the morale of the people, which was often more devastating than the loss of materiel. Adora blamed Catra directly for each attack.

"Adora?" she looked up. It was Glimmer, who looked concerned. "Are you alright?"

Adora grimaced. "Alright? Me? Look at this! No, I'm not alright!"

Glimmer placed a hand on Adora's arm. "Come on, we need to get back to Bright Moon."

Adora shook off Glimmer's hand. "Fine. We'd better be ready for the next village we have to clean up. Maybe we can just burn them down ourselves and save the Horde the trouble."

Glimmer didn't know what to say, figuring that anything she said would just make Adora more upset. She turned and started walking back to where her friends had gathered, her boots crunching on the bits of wood and stone that used to be a house. Adora rubbed her face, took in a shuddering breath, and followed Glimmer.

The girls walked past more villagers trying to clean up the remains of their lives. Glimmer, Bow, and Swift Wind had gathered by a crate. Bow was looking at this computer tablet. "Relief will be here in about an hour," he said.

"We need to prepare for the next attack," Glimmer said. "We don't know where that will be. But we have to be ready. We should get back to Bright Moon and prepare." Everyone looked to Adora, who was staring at the ground. She didn't seem to have heard. "Adora?" Glimmer asked.

"Yeah, that's fine," Adora said quietly. The others looked at each other, concerned. Adora looked up. "I said let's go!" she yelled, tears welling in her eyes. The others didn't respond. Of course, they were as upset as Adora was. The reality was that each one of them was angry all the time at the Horde. They all went through the range of emotions: fear, hatred, anger, sorrow, hopelessness, hope, resignation, revenge. It was just at this moment that it was Adora's turn to be angry while the others were more reserved. Tomorrow it might be Glimmer who was angry, or Bow, or all of them.

Bow put his computer away, Adora climbed onto Swift Wing's back, and Glimmer picked up her bag. They made their way back to the Castle, where Glimmer ruled as Queen. They walked in silence for the rest of the journey.

It was late when they got back. Some guards and servants came out of the front gate to meet them and help them inside. The group was dirty and tired. They made their way to the dining hall, following the smell of food. There was that smell again. Adora's stomach grumbled. It smelled so good, then she recalled the smell of death from earlier and she felt sick.

"I'm going to shower," Adora said.

"We'll keep dinner warm for you," Bow said as Adora went down the hall to her right, on her way to her room on the upper floor.

A servant greeted her at her room. "Shall I prepare a bath for you?" he said.

"I want to be alone," Adora responded. The servant bowed and left. Adora pushed open the door to her room and started undressing. She slipped off her boots, dropped the jacket on the floor, and left her pants next to the jacket. The room was warm, but the marble floor was cool on her feet. She stood naked, still, and listened to the quiet. She went to the window and pulled back the curtain. It was dark outside. She saw the glow of the lamps in the garden below. It seemed so peaceful, but she knew out there, far away, people were suffering, while she enjoyed the comforts of the Castle.

She sighed and let go of the curtain. She stepped into the washroom. The countertop was marble and the fixtures were shiny silver. Such luxury, she thought. She stepped into the shower and turned on the water. It felt so good. She washed the sweat and dirt from her body, wringing her hair. She turned off the water, stepped out, and grabbed the towel on the rack. She got clean clothes from her dresser. She was just in her underwear when there was a knock at her door.

"Adora?" It was Glimmer. "I have some food for you. Can I come in?"

"I'm not dressed," Adora said.

"Oh, I can come back."

"No, it's ok. Come in." There was no modesty between them. In the Horde there was little room for privacy. And Adora and Glimmer had become close, like sisters. Besides, modesty seemed pointless when there was a war going on. There were much more important things to be worried about.

Glimmer entered the room carrying a tray loaded with dishes. She placed the tray on a table and then sat on the bed. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Adora said, sitting on the bed next to Glimmer. Her still damp hair stuck to her back. "I'm just tired of it all."

"I know what you mean," Glimmer agreed. "How long can this go on?"

"I don't know. But we need to end it." Adora was slouching, looking tired.

"How?" Glimmer asked, looking at Adora.

"We need to stop Catra." She said simply.

Glimmer thought about that for a moment. "Why her?" Glimmer knew of Adora's personal connection to the Horde force captain. She was worried that Adora was being consumed by a personal vendetta and it was destroying her. "Do you think stopping her would make that big of a difference?"

"Of course," Adora was starting to get agitated. "Ever since she took on more command roles, the Horde has gotten more effective. I'm convinced that she's behind the new strategies. When we were in the Horde together, she was vicious. She would get angry at the slightest thing. Angry at others, but not so much with me."

Glimmer was looking down at the floor as she listened. "I know you two were close. You didn't have many friends in the Horde."

"Friends? Ha. That word is unknown to the Horde. We were taught to fight and look out for ourselves."

"But Catra was your friend?" Glimmer asked.

Adora sighed, staring off at nothing, looking back to the past. "I have been thinking about that. Obsessing, really. I suppose it's natural for people to look for friends, even in the worst situations. I wonder if Catra was really a friend or if she was just someone who was there. I mean, it could have been anybody."

"It doesn't change the fact that it _was_ her. You spent the formative years of your life with her. You're going to have a connection. You can't deny that past."

Adora stood up and walked to the table where the food was. She lifted the lid and took in the aroma. It did smell good, and her stomach reminded her that she needed food. She pulled a chair over and sat down. Picking up a fork and knife, she dug in.

Glimmer smiled. Healthy eating was a good sign. "I hope it's not too cold," she said.

"It's good," Adora said with a mouthful of potatoes. "I didn't know I was so hungry. We never had real food in the Horde."

Glimmer noted the joking tone to that remark. "I'm glad you're not there anymore."

Adora sat back, wiping her lips with a napkin. "Yeah, me too. I wish…"

Glimmer waited, "Wish what?"

Adora sighed and stood up, going back to the bed to lie down. "I just wish Catra would have come with me."

"Oh," Glimmer said. "Well, she didn't." There was a hint of anger in her comment. "You gave her a chance. She rejected you."

"I know," Adora agreed. "But we grew up together. That's a bond that's hard to break."

"I know what you mean. Me and Bow basically grew up together. He's part of my family. I can't imagine what it would be like if he betrayed me." Glimmer regretted the words as soon as she said them. She looked at Adora and saw the pain in her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean.."

"No, it's ok." Adora sat up. "You're right. She betrayed me. She's trying to kill us. I mean, how much worse can you get?" Glimmer didn't know how to respond to that. "But it still doesn't change the fact that I…" She trailed off.

"You what?" Glimmer prompted.

Adora thought for a moment. "I miss her." _Or is there more?_ She asked herself. "I'm sorry," she shook her head.

Glimmer placed her hand on Adora's thigh. "Listen. I don't blame you for how you feel. You can feel however you want, and that's ok. You've been through a lot. You don't have to justify yourself to anyone. We will love you and support you, no matter what."

Adora nodded, tears in her eyes. "You're right, Glimmer. But I've come to a conclusion." She was quiet for a moment, and Glimmer waited. "I have to kill her," she said softly. Glimmer clenched her teeth. She couldn't imagine how hard it was for Adora to say that. "I have to kill her," Adora said again. _But how do you kill someone you love?_

* * *

"Mm hm. Yes, very good." Catra sat at her desk, holding the tablet which contained the report from their latest attack. "We will see how well this new strategy works."

"New strategy? We blew up a bunch of houses when there were trucks and other equipment just sitting there." Lonnie had the nerve to question Catra.

"Ha ha, oh Lonnie. That's why I'm Force Captain and you're a grunt," Catra said in her arrogant tone. She placed the tablet on her desk. "Destroying their morale is way more effective in the long run. We break their will to fight and they will beg for mercy. Which we will graciously give them, as long as they swear allegiance to the Horde."

"Well," Lonnie replied, "I don't feel right about blowing up houses. I thought we were liberating these people from the princesses. I don't understand."

Catra sighed. "You don't have to understand. That's my job." She picked up the tablet and continued reviewing the report.

At that point Emily, the battle bot turned Entrapta's friend, waddled in. It was carrying another tablet, which it handed to Catra.

"What's this?" she asked, taking the tablet. It was an addendum to the battle report. It consisted mostly of video clips and pictures. She scrolled past the photos and video clips. One caught her eye. It was a video of She Ra smashing some robots. She Ra swung her sword at one, then kicked another. The video was shaky. Catra stared at it, then looked for other pictures of She Ra. She found some pictures and another video. Catra's eyes were fixed on the image. She ran her finger across the screen.

"Uh, Catra?" Lonnie watched her Force Captain.

Catra shook her head. "It's nothing. I'm fine. You're dismissed, Lonnie!"

Lonnie turned and left, grumbling about something. Catra sighed and looked at the pictures again. There were a few at the beginning of Adora before she became She Ra. Catra stared at these longer. She remembered Adora, her one-time roommate and close companion. But She Ra was essentially a stranger. No, worse: an enemy. "Damn you, She Ra," she said to herself.

*Beep boop* Catra looked up at the electronic sound of Emily.

"Oh, you're still here."

*Wirl tweep* Emily said.

"I don't know what you're saying, but you might be right."

*Beep*

"No, I'm not obsessed!" Catra looked again at the pictures. "It's just that she left me, betrayed me. And for what? A bunch of weak princesses? Did she not care about us? All our time together?"

*Wirrrr*

"Yes, it meant something!" Catra yelled at the robot that she didn't understand. "It meant something to me. I'd never tell any living thing this but Adora was all I had. She was smart, funny, loyal. Until she left me."

*Bleep bleep*

"Yeah, she is pretty, too." Catra thought about what she had said. It was one of those strange moments where a person knew something about themselves but it wasn't real until they said it out loud. "Adora is very pretty." Catra suddenly had the urge to look again at the photos. She tried to recall if there were any older photos of her, when Adora was still in the Horde. Yes, there would be a photo in her personnel file.

Catra turned her chair to the main computer terminal and brought up the personnel files. Adora was not listed. Catra was puzzled at first, until she checked the "Deceased or Missing" section, and there she was. Adora's unsmiling face stared back at Catra. Catra felt foolish for looking up Adora's file, but she told herself that she was just researching the enemy.

Yes, that was all it was. Catra stared at that picture and remembered Adora's voice. Tears started to form in Catra's eyes. "Why did you leave? It was supposed to be you and me. We could rule over some part of Eternia together. Maybe all of it someday."

Catra didn't have a context to understand her feelings. In the Horde, they were taught to fight and watch out for themselves. There was no such thing as love. The closest thing to it was loyalty to the Horde. That was why Catra placed such a high value on loyalty.

Not everyone in the Fright Zone were soldiers. There were civilians, from which the Horde recruited new soldiers. However, Adora and Catra were orphans and didn't have a real family. Catra didn't think too much about what real families were like. She knew where children came from, but she didn't know how parents felt about each other. In other words, she didn't know the concept of romantic love. She didn't know that people were supposed to fall in love. Combine this with her rash behavior, and this produced an unpredictable reaction with respect to how she bonded with people. Her subconscious instincts sought love, while the conscious part of her mind interpreted that as the kind of loyalty a soldier should have for their side.

By the time Catra had matured enough to differentiate her feelings, it was too late. It was, perhaps, too late for her to feel compassion and respect for someone ever again. She never even considered the possibility that Adora would not be in her life. When Adora left, Catra responded in the only way she knew how: to fight. As she looked upon the photo of the woman she knew, she decided that she needed resolution. She needed to know how Adora really felt about her. But how could she do that?

"Gah, I need to get some air." Catra turned off the computer and got up from her chair. She left her office and started down the corridor. Emily followed, not knowing what else to do. "Oh, I guess you can come with," Catra said to the bot.

Her office was deep in the main Horde structure at the center of the Fright Zone. There were many similar military barracks across the Zone. Catra counted herself lucky to have been assigned to the barrack so close to Hordak's sanctum. Being so close to the seat of power made it easy for her to advance up the ranks.

It was late and there wasn't much activity at the moment. She passed a technician or a soldier here or there, but things were pretty quiet. The walls were metal and most of the buildings smelled of oil. A kind of industrial smell that took some getting used to. There was a constant hum from the machinery and air systems. The lighting was artificial. Daylight was rare in the Fright Zone, and a person was lucky to even find their way out of the deep dungeons of the buildings to even see the sky. The place was a giant maze. There were signs that indicated where you were. But most people didn't stray far from their assigned areas.

But Catra had spent her childhood exploring, crawling in the ductwork, hiding in the grates, and running along pipes. Usually she would bring Adora with her. "Adora," she said to herself. "Even when you're gone, you still haunt me." Catra took some stairs up to the top of the building. There was a landing pad and a walkway on the roof. Emily clanked along behind her.

The night air was cool and the breeze brought what passed for fresh air. Catra paced around, thinking out loud. "I can't live like this. Adora is all I've known. Ugh, why does it hurt?" She pounded her fists on the railing of the walkway. Tears trickled down her cheek. "It has to be you or me, Adora. I can't live in this world with you out there. Either I take you down, or you take me. If you have decided that you want to fight for the Rebellion then I am your enemy. And if I am your enemy then you must stop me, at all costs. But can you? Do you really have what it takes to do that?" Catra stared out over the sprawling city. "Does she really have the guts to do it?"

*Beep beep*

"Maybe. But how can I know for sure. She's held back before. I need to force her hand. Make her go all the way. But how?" Catra needed Adora to try to finish her, once and for all. A final show down. "Hmm, how can I do that?"

*Bzzz bleep*

Catra looked at Emily. "Yes, that might work." An idea started to form. Pieces started to fall into place. "Yes, that just might work." She smiled.

* * *

It was two days since the last Horde attack. Adora and Glimmer were inspecting the latest weapons that Bow had helped design. The girls were in a research lab where various guns were laid out on tables. Lately Bow had been successful in reverse engineering Horde weaponry. Glimmer had made the decision to start a weapons research project and to arm the citizens of Bright Moon, and to export their weapons to other kingdoms.

Adora picked up a rifle. "It's very similar to Horde issue. Bow did a good job in figuring out how they work. But we need a lot more. And we need to train people on how to use them."

"I have people on that," Glimmer said. "We're shipping them out to the towns as soon as we can make them."

"Do you think it will turn the tide?" Adora asked.

"It needs to," Glimmer said. At that moment Bow had found them.

Bow did not feel comfortable making these weapons. "My dads would kill me if they knew I was building guns," he had said.

"Not if the Horde kills you first," Glimmer countered. "Bow, this is serious. The Horde don't mess around. A few princesses can't fight an entire army. We need our own army, and we need weapons. I don't like it any more than you do. But as Queen, I must put the safety of my people above my personal feelings about violence."

"I know, but we're supposed to be the good guys," Bow said. "Do good guys use these kinds of weapons?"

"I don't know, Bow. Maybe you can discuss the philosophical ramifications of violence while the Horde are marching you off to the slave camps," Glimmer said. "I will take full responsibility for whatever moral qualms you have about it. But I'd rather be alive to worry about it."

"Glimmer's right," Adora said. "The Horde don't share our sense of compassion. They won't stop until they have conquered all of Etheria. It's us or them."

"I know," Bow said, "But I don't have to like it."

"It's ok," Glimmer said, taking a softer tone. "We appreciate your work. This might be the turning point for us. These weapons could make all the difference. Now, why don't you show us how they work?"

Bow picked up a rifle and led Adora and Glimmer out of the room. Down the hall there was a door to the outside where a shooting range had been set up in a garden. There were some tables at one end and targets several meters away. There were signs of damage to the targets.

"Well," Bow began, "each blaster has a magazine that stores the blaster charges. It slides into the frame like this. Then you pull back this lever to activate it. Then just aim and fire." He pulled the trigger and sent a blast down range, just missing the target.

"I hope you're a better shot with a Horde bot," Glimmer said.

"Sorry, a rifle isn't the same as a bow," he said.

"It's ok," Adora said. "Everyone will need lots of practice. Now, do you have anything bigger than this? Something that could take down a troop transport or a tank?"

Bow shook his head. "No, I haven't been able to build one of those yet. All I have are these."

"It will have to do," Glimmer said. "In the meantime…"

"You're Highness," a guard ran up to Glimmer. "We just got word, Mueron is under attack!"

"Another attack?" Glimmer looked to Bow. "It looks like you'll get that chance to practice. Get some weapons. You and Adora find Swift Wind and get to Mueron. I'll gather what troops I can and follow you."

"Don't you think you should stay here?" Adora asked.

"We don't have time to argue. Just go, Adora!" Glimmer said.

Adora nodded and ran off, with Bow close behind. Adora was able to find Swift Wind in one of the gardens on the other side of the Castle grounds. Bow went to prepare a vehicle. Lately, Bright Moon had been making more use out of vehicles. Before the war people didn't have much need to get from place to place so quickly, and therefore powered vehicles weren't so common. But now, all vehicles were commandeered for the war effort and more were being built.

Adora, riding Swift Wind, met with Bow at the front of the Castle. "Ready?" Adora asked Bow, who was riding a small skiff similar to what the Horde used. He nodded, and the group took off.

Glimmer, with a small force, was not far behind. The trip to Mueron was about two hours away, which was actually quite close. It was bold for the Horde to strike so close to Castle Bright Moon. Bow was very nervous. He spent the entire trip thinking about what could go wrong.

Eventually they saw the town approaching in the distance. There were columns of smoke rising. Then they were close enough to hear the sounds of Horde bots shooting their cannons.

"Get me in close and drop me off," Adora said to Swift Wind. He landed behind a building that was out of range of any bots. Adora dismounted, pulled the sword off her back, and said, "For the honor of Grayskull!"

She Ra stepped around the building to face the Horde threat. There were three bots, which wasn't much of a threat at all. No matter, she would deal with them easily. The closest bot was making its way to a house. She Ra ran to it, jumped, and slammed her sword into it. The bot went down in a pile of broken bits, accompanied by sparks and smoke.

Meanwhile, Bow was running toward the second bot. He had his bow on his back and was carrying one of his rifles. He took cover behind a tree and raised the rifle. He took aim as best he could and fired. The shot missed, so he tried again. Blam blam blam! The last shot hit the bot, which broke into two pieces.

The third bot had circled around to attack from behind. Bow was exposed. He noticed the bot just as it was powering up its cannon. Bow tried to stand up and run but the bot exploded. When the smoke cleared, She Ra was standing on the remains of the bot.

"Thanks," Bow said, catching his breath. "I thought I was a goner."

She Ra reverted back to Adora and looked around. "Just three bots? And they weren't even that tough."

"Maybe the Horde was just testing our defenses. They haven't attacked this deep into Bright Moon before. They probably didn't want to commit more forces than this," Bow speculated.

"Maybe," Adora said. "The good news is we have more material for our own weapons. Look, these bots are mostly intact."

Bow examined the bot he had shot. "Yeah, lucky shot I guess. My shot must have hit it right in the servo." There was a smell of burning oil and scorched metal. Bow was picking through the remains, ripping open panels. "Hey, the data core is intact." He pulled out a screw driver and went to work. The data core came out easily.

By this time Glimmer had arrived with a group of fifty soldiers. "Report!" she said as she teleported next to Adora.

"It's over," Adora said. "Just three bots, and we took care of them quite easily."

Glimmer looked around at the minimal destruction. The residents of the town were already returning from their hiding places. "Odd," she said. "Hey, you don't think this was just a distraction for something else, do you?"

Adora thought about it. "Could be. You'd better get back to the Castle. We'll be right behind you." Glimmer nodded and teleported away.

Bow had collected parts from the remains of the robots. "This is great! I have some data cores and power packs. I should be able to reverse engineer this and really make some cool tech out of it."

"That's great, Bow, but we'd better get back to the Castle." Bow nodded and took his loot to the skiff while Adora found Swift Wind.

* * *

"I don't like the fact that the Horde was able to get so far into Bright Moon," Glimmer was saying over dinner. She sat at the table and stared at her plate.

"Well, it was just three bots," Adora said. "A group larger than that would have been spotted."

"I say we count our blessings," Swift Wind said as he ate a bowl of oats. "If the Horde wants to send three bots at a time, that's easier than a dozen, or a hundred. I'll take an easy victory any day."

"I don't know," Glimmer rubbed her chin.

"Well, the only thing we can do now is continue with our current plans," Adora said. "Making more weapons and training people on how to use them. I think Bow is getting the hang of it."

Bow, who was not having dinner with his friends, just entered the dining hall at that moment. "I have good news and bad news."

"Great," Glimmer slapped her face.

"That doesn't sound great at all," Swift Wind said, not picking up on the sarcasm. "Wait, unless you mean the part about the good news. Then that's great. But the bad news is not great. So I'd say overall the news is neutral. Does that make sense? Does news cancel out that way?"

"What is it, Bow?" Adora asked, stopping Swift Wind from going off on some philosophical tangent.

Bow placed his data tablet onto the table. "I was able to access the data core that I retrieved from the bot. It was encrypted, but I was able to crack it. That's the good news."

"And the bad?" Glimmer asked.

"There is a plan for another attack, at Rockhorn."

"Where is that?" asked Swift Wind.

"It's a colony at the edge of Bright Moon, kind of a desert area. But there's not much there. I'm not sure what the Horde wants with Rockhorn," Glimmer said.

"An isolated area would be a good staging area for deeper attacks into Bright Moon," Adora said. "Or maybe they just want to lead us all across Bright Moon, keep us on the defense and wasting time."

"Well, whatever the reason, we need to be ready for it," Glimmer said.

"Wait, there's something else," Bow said. "Catra is going to be there."

Adora stood up. "Catra! What's her plan?"

"All it says is that she will personally oversee the operation," Bow said. "They are bringing tanks and infantry, but, if I read it right, the force won't be overwhelming."

"Let's hope," Glimmer said. "When is the attack?"

"Six days," Bow said.

Glimmer sighed. "That should give us enough time. We'll ready whatever forces we can. This just never seems to end." She shook her head.

* * *

Six days later a decent size force was on its way to the remote colony of Rockhorn. The mustered force consisted of about one hundred infantry, most of them armed with Bow's new rifles, and about fifty support and medical persons along with supplies. They did not yet have any heavy weaponry. Most of the battles that Bright Moon fought were decided by She Ra. If she was there, they usually won the battle. If she was not, they usually lost.

Boy and Glimmer rode at the front in one of the vehicles, while Adora rode Swift Wind. The journey was going to take two days and they were at the end of the first when Glimmer decided to stop for the night.

"Bow, tell everyone to set up camp and establish a watch. We'll head out in the morning, which should put us in Rockhorn tomorrow afternoon."

Bow relayed the message to the other troop transports via the radio. The convoy found a clearing and circled the vehicles. The soldiers began setting up camp. An hour later there were camp fires and a general sense of nervousness.

Bow and Glimmer were sitting next to a fire when Swift Wind and Adora approached. "Have a seat," Glimmer said. Adora sat down on a stump while Swift Wind tried to warm himself by the fire. "So, it's going to be another battle tomorrow."

"Yeah," Adora agreed as she stared into the fire. "But Catra is going to be there."

"We've fought her before," Bow pointed out.

Adora was silent for a long moment. She had plucked some grass and was rolling it around in her hand absent mindedly. "No, this time is going to be different," she finally said.

"How so?" Glimmer asked.

Adora was silent for another long moment. "This time, I'm going to kill her."

Everyone was stunned. They stared at Adora. Bow spoke first. "Adora, do you really want to do that?"

Adora shook her head. "No, I don't _want_ to. But I _have_ to."

"Why?" Bow asked.

"Because this has to stop," Adora said. She seemed calm, her voice steady. "This has gone on long enough. We can't keep fighting like this. The Horde is just too big, too strong. Are forces get steadily weaker. This isn't going to stop until we take it seriously."

"Killing Catra is pretty serious," Swift Wind said.

"But is that what we really want to do?" Bow asked.

"_We_ won't be doing it," Adora said. "_I_ will. I will take full responsibility for it. It's my decision. Catra has caused so much death and destruction. She has to be stopped. By stopping her, we deal a serious blow to the Horde."

"Do you think there's any other way?" Glimmer asked.

"What other way!?" Adora became emotional.

"Maybe we can just capture her," Bow suggested.

Adora closed her eyes to hold back tears and shook her head. "No. You guys don't get it. She's never going to change. I've known her for years. This is beyond stubborn. She's evil. There's only one way to deal with evil."

"You were in the Horde once," Swift Wind said. Everyone was treading carefully, speaking slowing and softly so as not to upset Adora.

Adora rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. She was frustrated. "Yes, I know. Don't act like I don't know that. Catra is different. Jeez, you think that everyone in the Horde is some innocent victim who just needs to see the error of their ways!" She looked around the group. "Maybe some people are. Maybe a lot. Maybe most! But I can tell you for a fact that there are plenty of evil, twisted people in the Horde. I've met them. I've worked with them. Real selfish, greedy, evil people. And the more I think about it, the more I realize Catra was one of them. She would lash out at people weaker than her. She would hurt people and laugh about it. I didn't know any better because in the Fright Zone, that's just how things are. I offered her a chance to join me but she turned it down. She's had plenty of time to see what she's doing. She isn't just some mindless soldier following orders. She's planning these attacks. She knows what she's doing." She started to cry.

Her friends looked at her, at the fire, at each other. They didn't know what to say. Then Glimmer said, "It shouldn't be your responsibility. I'm the Queen of Bright Moon and Catra is attacking my kingdom. I will be the one to stop her."

Adora shook her head. "No. I need to do it. This is my burden. I need closure on this."

"Closure? Did Catra hurt you, Adora?" Bow asked.

"Not…not physically, no. It's just that we were so close. I loved her."

The others stared at her. "Like a sister," Glimmer said.

Adora shook her head again. "No, not like that. I love you like a sister, Glimmer. But I am in love with Catra."

Bow started to tear up. "You shouldn't have to kill someone you love."

"No, you shouldn't," Adora agreed. "But she has left me no other choice." Adora stood up and went to her tent. The others watched her go.

* * *

"Force Captain, we are within striking distance of Rockhorn. Should be commence the attack?" Lonnie was driving one of the tanks by herself. Catra was observing the Horde forces from her air ship, which patrolled in a circular pattern.

"No," Catra's voice came back over the radio. "Not yet. I want Bright Moon's forces to arrive first."

Lonnie was confused. "Why? We should attack now while the outpost is defenseless."

"Just maintain your course, Lonnie!" Catra said. "In fact, I need you to position your tank at these coordinates." The computer screen in the cockpit of the tank lit up, showing a map. There was a blinking dot to indicate her destination, and an arrow representing her present position. "Stay in this area, next to that big rock formation. Stay there no matter what. Do you understand?"

"But that's far from the main targets," Lonnie countered.

"Stop questioning my orders! Just stay there no matter what. I need you there to block off any path of escape." Catra said then closed the connection.

Lonnie sighed. "Fine." The tank cockpit was noisy, hot, and vibrated from the engine. It was a small enclosure with a reclining seat. She controlled the treads with foot pedals, and controlled the turret with left and right joysticks. There was a narrow window out front, a computer screen, and various other controls around her.

She followed the navigation computer to the spot indicated by Catra. It was several hundred meters away from a large rock spire. She positioned the tank to block a possible escape path in case anyone decided to flee the outpost in this direction. Lonnie didn't understand the strategy, but she stopped caring about Catra's seemingly irrational behavior lately.

Meanwhile, aboard the sky ship, Catra stood on the bridge, the control center of the ship. There were two officers at the front controls. A large, wrap around window up front, gave Catra a wide view of the land outside. The ship slowly circled the outpost.

Finally, she saw the Bright Moon forces approaching from the south. This area was mostly brown desert, with a few trees. This meant that the forces didn't have much cover as they made their way in.

"There they are," Catra said. She placed a hand on the back of the seat and leaned forward, staring out the window. "Wait for them." It took several minutes for the forces to arrive. They split into two groups, flanking the small town. Catra pushed a button on the communications panel. "Now! All forces, engage the enemy."

The terrain lit up with bolts of energy as her Horde forces opened fire. She watched her tanks roll over sand berms, but she made sure Lonnie's tank stayed put. "Now we just wait," Catra said to herself.

On the ground, Bright Moons forces were met with explosions. Bow, driving the lead transport, pulled to a stop behind one of the few trees. "Everybody out!" he yelled over the communications system. He opened the door and jumped out.

It was chaos. The sound of large machines, cannon fire, and small arms fire was deafening. Bow had one of his rifles. The soldiers from his transport rallied behind him. In the distance they saw the Horde infantry rapidly approaching, backed up by bots and tanks. "Forward!" he yelled and waved with his hand. "Circle to the left and hit them from the flank! Focus on the bots!"

Bow fired the rifle but missed most of his shots. Frustrated, he threw the rifle down and pulled the bow off his back. He loosed several arrows in quick succession, each one hitting their target. Several Horde soldiers and a bot went down.

Some distance away Glimmer was teleporting from bot to bot. She landed on one, teleported into the air above a tank, and let it go. She watched the bot fall for two seconds before she teleported back to the ground. A fact about physics was that objects fall at the same rate, regardless of mass. Therefore she couldn't watch the bot hit its target without falling herself.

She popped back into existence and looked around. She was closer to the Horde side than her own, and Horde soldiers were running past her. She looked around for another bot. The ground next to her feet exploded and knocked her to the ground. Dirt rained down on her and she coughed. She heard the clank of a Horde bot as it loomed over her and aimed its turret down.

She teleported away just before the bot fired. She reappeared on its back and teleported it into the air. But this time she didn't have time to look for another tank to destroy. She teleported back to the ground again. She leaned down to catch her breathe. "Where is…?"

"For the honor of Grayskull!" An eight foot tall warrior with a sword ran across the battle field, smashing soldiers and bots as she went. She ran over sand berms and ducked cannon blasts. A bot tried to intercept her but she sliced it in half.

Meanwhile, back in the sky, Catra observed the scene. Everything was so small from that vantage point. The soldiers looked like toys. But the carnage going on was not game. She saw a flash of white light on the Bright Moon side of the battle field. The light faded and from that point a patch of destruction was being carved. Catra followed that path with her eyes, watching bots and soldiers being cut down. At the leading end of that path was a beautiful blond woman. "There she is," Catra said to herself. To the pilot she said, "Take us lower, over there," She pointed. "I want to get low enough to see the fear in their eyes."

The ship descended and made a pass over She Ra's position. She looked up at the ship, using her hand to shade her eyes from the sun. The door on the side of the ship was open and a familiar figure was leaning out. "Catra!"

"Hey Adora!" Catra yelled down at her. "Nice day, isn't it! I bet you can't catch me!" She ducked back into the ship, which then ascended and veered off.

Adora watched the ship move away and she tried to estimate its heading. It looked like it was headed to the edge of the town, toward the giant rock spire. She Ra looked around and noticed a Horde tank near that position. She made her way toward it as fast as she could.

On the ship Catra pushed a button on the control panel.

In the tank, Lonnie was watching the battle. She was itching to join the fight, but she had to follow orders. Suddenly an alarm came on. It indicated a failure to the drive motor. Then Catra's face appeared on the computer screen. "Lonnie, report. How are things there?"

"Well, everything was just fine, but I just got a drive failure. I'm stuck here."

"Well, you're no good if you can't move," Catra said. "Abandon the tank and rendezvous with the rear guard. I need you there."

"After sitting here this whole time?" Lonnie protested.

"Just do it! Get back to the rear. And be careful. She Ra is on her way to your position. I don't want you getting hurt." The screen went off.

"Fine," Lonnie said to no one. She pulled the lever that opened the hatch and pulled herself out. She heard the noise of the battle that was happening some distance away. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw She Ra running toward her position. "I better get out of here!" She jumped off the tank and landed in the dirt. She took off running, back to where the Horde forces had staged their reserve troops.

Back on the ship, Catra gave a final order to the two soldiers at the con positions. "Take a parachute and get out. I'm taking over." The soldiers looked at her in confusion. "Now!" They shrugged and stood up. They went to the back, pulled parachutes from the supply cabinet, put them on, and jumped out of the ship.

On the ground, She Ra made it to the tank. She was surprised to see that the hatch was open and nobody was inside. It didn't appear to have been damaged. She climbed up into the cockpit and closed the hatch. Of course she had been trained on how to operate it when she was still in the Horde. She noted that the drive was not working but the turret was.

She activated the targeting system, which brought up a cross hair view on the screen. She moved a small track ball to scan the sky until she found Catra's ship. A press of a button locked the targeting system onto the ship. She then grabbed the control stick and pressed the trigger.

A bolt of energy shot from the turret and streaked to the ship, clipping one of the wings. On board Catra gasped in surprise at the hit. "That was close. But all according to plan." She headed straight for the rock formation.

In the tank She Ra watched her shot hit the ship and so some damage. The ship banked to the left and circled around the big rock spire. It went out of view behind the spire and She Ra cursed. "Lost her!" But a few minutes later the ship appeared on the other side, having circled around and doubled back. "There you are. I won't let you get away again." She Ra fired another shot. This one hit dead on and the ship took a dive. It spewed smoke and banked hard to the right and down, directly into a cliff on the rock spire.

The ship smashed into the cliff, but was not totally destroyed, although it would never fly again. She Ra waited, hesitant to fire again. The targeting system on the computer screen switched off and was replaced by the face of Catra. "Hey Adora." She was smiling.

"It's over, Catra. You can't escape, and I have you in my sights. Surrender now." She Ra was forceful and confident.

Catra laughed. "Ha ha ha, oh, is that right? Come on, Adora, we both know you don't have what it takes to pull that trigger again. I've already called for a rescue. Someone will be here shortly to pull me out of this wreck and I'll be on my way. You'll have to shoot down my rescue ship, and the one after that. Because you don't have the guts to finish me off."

She Ra was silent. Was Catra right? Could She Ra do it? This was exactly the opportunity she was waiting for. But she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Catra taunted. "I'm right here. You won't have this opportunity again."

"Why don't you just surrender, Catra," She Ra's voice sounded tired. "Please, just give up."

Catra was idly examining her fingernails. "Hmm, nah. I think I'd rather not."

"You want me to kill you?"

Catra shrugged. "I don't know. That kind of seems like the whole point of a war. Kill your enemy. I'm your enemy, aren't I?" Her tone was mocking.

She Ra closed her eyes, but all she could see was a young Catra with a mischievous smile. She recalled the fun times they had together, that lifetime ago. "Yes, you are," she forced herself to say. "But you don't have to be. Please, Catra. Just give up and come with me."

Catra stared at She Ra through the screen. She had a confused look on her face. "You really don't get it, do you Adora? We're not kids anymore. Those days are gone. You're in the Rebellion and I'm with the Horde. Heck, I practically run the Horde. You might not think that I'm your enemy, but I know that you are mine. I hate you."

She Ra clenched her teeth and sagged her head, her hands tightly grasping the control sticks. Tears leaked out of her eyes. It took tremendous effort to keep from crying. Catra's words cut through She Ra like blades. _I hate you. I hate you. I hate you._ The words seemed to echo over and over in her ears.

"Catra…."

Catra's ears perked up. "What's that, Adora? I can't hear you."

"Catra," a little louder. "Catra. I love you."

Silence.

Catra's face went slack. Then she regained her composure, shaking off the shock like it was nothing. "You lie."

"No, Catra, I'm not lying," she was sobbing now. Her voice was shaky. "I never told you because I didn't think I needed to. I didn't plan this. I never wanted to leave you."

"Then why did you?" Catra said softly.

"Because I had to. I had to do what was right. The Horde is wrong." She opened her eyes and looked at Catra. "I wish it hadn't come to this."

Catra scowled. "It's all your fault, Adora. You did this. We could have been together, like old times. You could still be with me. But it's too late. There's no other choice now. Kill me, Adora."

Adora's mouth opened in shock.

"Do it. Do it!" Catra demanded. "There's no going back, Adora! It's you or me! Either you kill me or I kill you! The next time I find you I will kill you! And I will kill everyone who gets in my way, do you understand, you big dumb blonde! Kill me, you coward! Kill …"

Click.

Boom!

Boom boom!

On the battlefield, Glimmer looked up and watched the streak of energy travel from the tank's turret toward the ship that was crashed on the cliff. It seemed so slow. Then the beam hit the ship and it exploded, detonating two secondary explosions. It was silent, since it took several seconds for the sound to catch up with the light.

The shock wave from the explosion rocked the tank. If She Ra would have been watching the screen she would have seen the ship disappear in a flash, followed by black smoke. But she couldn't see through her tears. Her body wracked in sobs. The tears dripped down her face and onto the floor. She gripped the control sticks so hard that they broke off. She dropped them and cupped her face in her hands.

Her body shook as she gasped for air. "Wh… Why… WHY! CATRAAAA!" She smashed her fists into the screen, then tore it off. She lost track of time as she cried in agony.

It was almost an hour before Bow finally got to the tank. After the explosion of the ship the Horde forces retreated. It was as if they knew the battle was lost when they lost their leader. Bow opened the hatch and found Adora curled up in the seat, shaking.

Glimmer appeared next to him and looked into the cockpit. "Adora!" She reached in to grab Adora so that she could teleport her out. Glimmer carried her to the transport vehicle which was nearby.

"Is she alright?" Bow asked. He was afraid.

"I don't see any injuries," Glimmer said. She climbed into the vehicle with Adora and closed the door. Bow ran around to the front and got in.

Some of the Bright Moon forces were staying behind to tend to the wounded, but the majority were on their way back to the Castle. They drove all night. Someone took over driving while Bow tried to sleep in the passenger seat. Eventually he passed out from exhaustion.

Glimmer she was in the back, tending to Adora, who said "Catra, why?"

"It's ok, Adora. We're going back to the Castle. Tell me what happened?" Glimmer said.

Adora put her hands to her face. "I killed her. I did it. I blew up that ship and now she's gone."

Glimmer was shocked. "Catra was on that ship?" She was silent for a moment, then said, "Adora, I'm so sorry. Just rest now." She kept her hands on Adora's shoulder. Eventually Glimmer fell asleep. Adora would sleep for a time then wake up crying.

They made it back to the Castle without incident. Glimmer and Bow, both exhausted, half carried Adora to her room. She was awake, but wasn't speaking. They got her undressed and into bed. Then they themselves fell asleep next to her.

* * *

The next day the trio went through the motions of showering, eating, and managing the business of running a kingdom at war. Few words were spoken. Everyone game Adora plenty of space. She spent most of her time in her room, with the lights off.

At one point Glimmer and Bow went to Adora's room. The curtains were closed and she was sitting on the bed, her knees pulled to her chest.

"Can we come in?" Bow asked. He was carrying a tray with cups of tea. When Adora didn't say anything, Bow and Glimmer entered. Bow set the tray on the table and took a cup. Glimmer placed a cup in Adora's hands. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"It's not your fault," Glimmer finally said. She was expecting an emotional objection, but she didn't get one.

"But I'm the one who killed her," Adora said quietly, staring at the bed.

"You did what you had to do," Glimmer said. "How did we expect this to end? It was bound to happen, sooner or later. It was either you or her. If not at that moment, then some other time. How else could this have ended?"

"Maybe I could have saved her," Adora said. "Changed her mind."

Glimmer sighed, "You tried. You did all you could do. Adora, I know it's hard to lose someone you love. It hurts. It never really goes away, you just get used to it. But I think you had no other choice. You did what you had to do."

"Maybe," Adora said. "I knew I had to do it. I came to that conclusion days before. Really, I'd been thinking about it for a long time. I kept telling myself that there was another way. Now it's too late."

Glimmer took this as a good sign. Adora was well aware of her actions, and seemed to be analyzing it, rather than simply wallowing in sorrow. It would be some time before Adora finally came to terms with her loss, but she was coping well so far. "We'll leave you alone for now," Glimmer said as she led Bow out.

* * *

The next day, Glimmer was in the conference room reviewing reports. It seemed that killing Catra hadn't affected the war effort that much. They were still struggling to hold back Horde attacks. She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Your Highness, I bring you news." She looked up to see that a messenger had entered the room.

"What is it?" Glimmer asked wearily.

The messenger laid a tablet onto the table. "This was recovered from an unarmed Horde bot that, apparently, was sent specifically to deliver this message to you."

"A Horde bot?" She picked up the tablet and turned it on. What she saw shocked her. She jumped from the table and ran to Adora's room.

Adora was sitting on her bed in the dark when Glimmer entered. Adora said nothing. "Adora, you have to see this!" She rushed to the bed and sat down next to Adora. Glimmer turned on the tablet and a message started.

It was Catra. Adora gasped in shock. The message played. "Hey Adora. I guess you're wondering if I'm still alive. The answer is yes. Ha ha ha! I wish I could see the look on your face. You're wondering how I survived that explosion. Well, I normally don't explain my plans to my enemies, but this was truly a work of genius, if I do say so myself.

"First off, I want to congratulate you. I didn't think you had it in you. You actually had the guts to kill me. Or, you thought you killed me. You remember when my ship circled around that big rock formation? When it was on the back side, I got into an escape pod and got out. Then I controlled the ship remotely. When you shot it down I crashed it on a rock ledge. Then I called you from my escape pod, which had landed safely out of site. I staged the whole thing. I sent some bots to Mueron which were intentionally easy to defeat. I was counting on your nosy little friend to hack the memory core and find my plans to attack Rockhorn. Failing that, I hoped you would have learned of the attack. I would have waited for you to arrive. I even placed a tank for you to use to blow up my ship. I thought of everything, and you fell for it. It was perfect.

"If you hadn't blown up the ship I would have called in a bogus rescue. But you did, and I'm proud of you. You see, Adora, you're not so different from me. You've proven that you have the ability to kill. We sure could have used you in the Horde. We could have accomplished great things together. It's too bad that you're on the wrong side."

Tears were streaming down Adora's face.

"Well, I'd better get going. I'm sure we'll meet again. Oh, and one last thing," Catra kissed her hand and blew it, then winked, "I love you Adora." The screen turned off.


End file.
